Reduce Defense Spending...Are You Serious?

According to Money Magazine (October 2012, p. 85), 68% of those polled (Republicans AND Democrats) think the United States should cut defense (military) spending. The Department of Defense (DoD), Congress, and President Obama all want to cut personnel and retiree benefits, that is a fact. What are these morons thinking? What is 68% of the population, supposedly, thinking? You got me!
We have been at war with Al Qaeda, and others, for 11 years and our military, if not dead already, are worn out! Our heroes in uniform, past, present, and future, put their families, health, and lives on the line every day...for your freedom people!

So now that Osama is dead, we are out of Iraq, and things are winding down in Afghanistan, we have nothing to worry about...right? Military retention rates are at all times highs thanks to patriotism and a weak economy, so why don't we cut their (active duty, Guard, Reserves, and retirees) pay and benefits or, better yet, drum them out altogether so we can save a few bucks? Forget those promises we made about job security, lifetime healthcare, pensions, and other "retention" tools...the threat is gone, over, history...let's cut defense spending (that is shorthand for personnel and benefits)! You don't really think the military (DoD) is going to give up any planes, tanks, ships, or helicopters do you?

I don't know about you, but I have a couple problems with that kind of thinking:
First, we, as a nation, made promises to our men and women in uniform and cannot change course now. That is immoral! Can you say integrity? Keep the promises made to those serving and those who have served. If you want to make changes, make them effective BEFORE future enlistees enlist, not after we obligated to or faithfully served our country!
Second, the president, Congress, and DoD ARE NOT focusing on fighting a few terrorists here and there, they are focusing on two very real and very large threats...CHINA (and their redheaded stepchild North Korea) and IRAN! 

China is a military and nuclear superpower with BILLIONS of potential troops and Iran has a nut of a president and is on the verge of becoming a nuclear threat (beside having one of the most potent militaries in the Middle East) and is threatening one of the most unstable and economically critical regions in the world ON A DAILY BASIS! Can you say OIL? How about nuclear holocaust? Are you people out if your freakin' minds?

So why not cut porkbarrel spending, pet projects, a bloated government full of useless programs and lazy workers (that is a generalization, there are many worthwhile programs and civil servants), or even cushy pensions for serving in Congress for a couple  of years? Why? Because memories are very short and if there is not an immediate threat, citizens are selfish and want all the money to come to them. That means politicians need to keep those voters happy so they can be reelected and receive those cushy pensions!

In conclusion, our shortsighted predecessors cut defense spending after World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, and even Gulf War I, but guess what? That's right, we got caught with our pants down when the next conflict came along! Do you have any idea how much we waste as a nation drawing down and building up our military as a reaction to world events? BILLIONS...JUST LIKE THOSE BILLIONS OF CHINESE just a stones throw from the United States of America...can you say Alaska? How about Hawaii? There is a place in Hawaii called Pearl Harbor...have you heard of it?

Paul Ryan...Savior or Satan: Coming of the AntiChrist?

The first time I saw Paul Ryan or even heard of him for that matter, was when Mitt Romney recently announced he would be his running mate for the 2012 presidential election. First impressions are telling, and mine are usually fairly accurate, so the first time I saw this man, a shiver ran up my spine, I was frightened!

There has been much talk over the years, particularly recently in the days leading to the Winter Solstice, December 21st, 2012, predicting the end of the world, supposedly prophesied by the Mayans, Nostradamus, and dozens of TV shows and films in recent memory. The coming of the Antichrist, an event anticipated for centuries in some religions, has not been linked to the upcoming END OF THE WORLD, at least as far as I have seen. But the coincidences are alarming!

Here is a man, Paul Ryan, coming from nowhere, as Antichrist believers have predicted, entering a great position of power...one heartbeat away from being the LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD, should things fall into place as the Republicans hope, if elected in November and taking office in January 2013. Were the predictions of the Mayans and others correct or will this be the BEGINNING of the end of times, Armageddon some might say, rather than the abrupt end as many prognosticators have led us to believe?

I am a conservative, a Republican, although it is really none of your business, so I have nothing at all to gain by my perception. In fact, I will most likely be ostracized by fellow conservatives and many of my friends over these comments.

Obama seems like a decent guy...family man, smart, motivated, and has done some good things. But his policies have been ineffective and I do not agree with many of them, which will also not be referenced here because my political views are irrelevant. Our country is a mess, the result of a loss of clear institutional and personal values in my opinion, and change is needed. The question is: "Are Mitt Romney and this unknown Ryan the right guys to step in?"

Some may think that my problem is with Romney's faith, being a Mormon, and nothing to do with Paul Ryan. That could not be further from the truth! I have known hundreds of Mormons over the years, cadets at the US Air Force Academy where I was on the faculty from 1988 to 1993, fellow Air Force officers, and friends throughout my life. Mormon people, in my experience, ARE WONDERFUL PEOPLE...warm, helpful, friend/family oriented, loyal, straightforward, honest...just good people, without a single exception. So is this about faith? Absolutely not! Is this about a gut feeling...a perception? Absolutely!

The first time I saw Ryan, he gave me the creeps, reminding me of many sociopaths I have had the misfortune of knowing over the years.  My peers, clinicians with sociopath experience(s) might say: "THE LIGHTS ARE ON, BUT NOBODY'S HOME" when looking into his eyes and referring to "those types". 

Is my perception based in facts or science? As I stated earlier, it is not. But I have dealt with enough evil in my life and have a great deal of experience working with people of questionable sanity, so take it for what it is worth...my opinion.

So, is Paul Ryan going to turn out to be our "savior" or "Satan"? Probably neither. Is he the coming of the Antichrist and the end of the world or just some young, decent looking guy bent on serving his country and doing some good? Time will tell. I hope I am wrong and do not give credibility either to the myths surrounding the coming of the Antichrist or the Armageddon 2012 end of the world prophecy scheduled for later this year. I am just a writer and blogger trying to raise some controversial and interesting discussion about the world, our Nation in crisis, and the upcoming election, so do not take my "perceptions" too seriously. 

However...if they are correct, I will not receive any credit because there will not be anybody to bestow it upon me, and, if incorrect, I will be disliked or ostracized for my views, so what do I have to gain? Not a thing! I am just sharing a story, a perception, a controversial opinion, allowing you to form or hold your own because that is what is special about our country...we can have strong convictions and opinions, share them openly, and not have to worry about being deported or thrown in jail because of them.

Thank you for letting me tell my story and for listening, and ... GOD BLESS THE USA AND OUR NEXT PRESIDENT, whomever we elect!

WATCH THIS VIDEO ... PAUL RYAN REFERS TO HIMSELF AS "SATAN INCARNATE"

Read this new post about Paul Ryan's recent  attack on military retirees

Key Words: 2012, AntiChrist, Armageddon, calendar, Coming, election, end of the world, fiction, Mayans, Nostradamus, Obama, Paul Ryan, president, prophecy, Romney, Ryan, Satan, satire, Savior, vice president

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